Improving the Process of Valuing Non-Market Benefits: Combining Citizens’ Juries with Choice Modelling

We attempt a first combination of the participatory technique known as the “citizens’ jury” with choice modelling, a stated-preference technique increasingly favored by environmental economists. Our application is conducted in the context of water quality improvements under the Water Framework Directive, the most significant reform in water legislation in the European Union for many years. We compare results with those of a conventional choice experiment. We find that the choice experiment format can be successfully implemented in a “jury” setting, and that moving from an individual to a collective choice setting produces a change in both values and preferences. (JEL Q51)

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